Pikachu's Role (Pokeshipping Week 2017)
by zdbztumble
Summary: What happens when a Pokemon plans a date for his trainers?


Most of my work for Pokeshipping Week this year was artwork, but I did a fic for Day 6. Here it is!

* * *

"Come on, everyone!" Pikachu called as he scrambled up on top of the tree stump. "Listen up!"

He might as well have been addressing thin air. Charizard and Gyarados continued their argument, Litten poked and prodded curiously at Psyduck as he stared blankly ahead, Bayleef pouted, Starmie was inscrutable, and Oshawott admired his own reflection in the lake as Azurill giggled behind him.

 _And to think these are members of championship battling teams._ Pikachu gave himself leave to heave one frustrated sigh before he drew everyone's attention by shooting off a Thunderbolt into the air above them.

"What's the big idea?" Charizard growled. Pikachu answered him with a smug grin.

"As I was saying...you all may have noticed that our Trainers got into another tiff last night. A real one, not their usual banter. I heard them this morning trying to make up, and...well, it didn't go horribly, but I don't think they're all better yet. But they're taking a walk up this way, and I thought it might help if we set up a little surprise for them!"

Charizard arched a brow. "What kind of surprise?" Gyarados wore a similarly skeptical look, while Bayleef turned her head in the other direction. Oshawott and Azurill seemed excited, Litten and Starmie at least mildly intrigued, and Psyduck seemed Psyduck.

"A picnic surprise," Pikachu said. "I asked Noivern to fly up a basket of goodies to this spot in about thirty minutes, which should give us time to decorate."

" _Decorate?_ " Gyarados snarled. "Decorate _what_? It's a picnic!"

"Yes, but we could make it look nice!" Pikachu countered. The spot they occupied along the trail was a pretty enough place, with a wide cherry tree to one side and the lake on the other, but there was still something to be said for a nice arrangement...

"Sounds like a great idea!" said Oshawott, with a little hop of excitement. "I know just the type of flowers Pikachupi likes - if Starmie helps me with its Ice Beam, we can make little ice sculptures all around the lakeside, and Charizard can light a little campfire - it's kind of chilly out - and -"

"I am not a decorating service!" the Fire-type snapped.

"Do it for Pikapi!" Oshawott snapped back.

"Pikapi doesn't care about things like that!"

"Then do it for Pikachupi!"

"She's not my Trainer!"

"And does that make something _wrong_ with her?" Gyarados roared.

"Don't start with me, fish!" Charizard roared back.

"What did you call me?"

"Pokémon, please!" Pikachu pleaded. "Let's just all calm down and -"

Charizard rammed into Gyarados with a head butt, and the two soon fell in to a tooth-and-nail scrap. They wouldn't stop, for all of Pikachu's protests.

"Only one way to settle this, I see..." the Mouse Pokémon sighed. "Get started on decorating," he instructed Oshawott and Starmie before jumping into the fray. It seemed a bad idea the second he got caught up in Charizard's grasp. The three of them rolled up and down the sloping grassland by the tree, and while the larger Pokémon never brought out any special attacks, Pikachu still caught more than his share of bites, scratches, kicks, and tail whips. It was only on the fifth roll up that he managed to clamor his way on to Gyarados's back and let the Thunder fly.

"Honestly, you two should be over this by now!" he snapped at the pair of them, lying crisped and shocked before him. "Now we're doing this for Pikapi and Pikachupi, so you might as well get along and cooperate!" He left them be where they lay. Every step back towards the tree ached. _Brutes, both of them. I knew I should have asked Infernape and Politoed instead. What made me think they'd be any help with this, I'll never -_

"Cut that out!" It was Oshawott's voice yelling. He and Starmie had crafted a row of ice roses along the edge of the lake, but Litten was playing with them - playing, and melting. If anything survived his fire, a sulking Bayleef whipped the remnants apart.

"Hey!" Pikachu marched over. "Litten, what do you think you're doing?"

"They're shiny," Litten shrugged and licked his front right paw.

"You're ruining my masterpieces!" Oshawott complained.

" _Hyah_!"

"Um - _our_ masterpieces!"

"Litten, go help Charizard and Gyarados with the fire," Pikachu sighed, shooing the Fire Cat along. "And Bayleef -"

"What?" she huffed. "They're already ruined."

Pikachu dragged a paw across his face. "Rake up some of the leaves under the tree so we have a spot to set up the picnic." He turned to Oshawott. "Can you get those roses remade in time?"

"Piece of cake!"

"Good. And maybe Azurill can - where's Azurill?"

"Over here, Uncle!" Azurill bounced up from behind a thick bushel of reeds right at the edge of the lake. She was bouncing up and down on what appeared to be a log...until it moved.

"Azurill, get off that Krokorok!" Pikachu cried. He raced forward; much like Togepi before her, Azurill was oblivious to her danger, and kept happily bouncing around. The scowl on the Krokorok beneath her tail grew more and more intense with each hop. Finally the Desert Croc snapped, and reared its head up to bite. Fortunately for Azurill, she bounded back onto the path just in time. Unfortunately for Pikachu, he reached that spot just as the Krokorok bit, and had to fight his way out of another scrape.

Noivern had come and gone by the time Pikachu hauled himself back over to the tree. The picnic basket was set against its trunk, and the tablecloth and food had already been sent out. The leaves had been raked, the ice roses glimmered along the lakeside, and a small campfire burned nearby. Everything looked perfect. Everything except Psyduck, sat on the cloth and eyeballing the sandwiches.

"Psyduck..." Pikachu said carefully. "Whatever you're thinking..."

"Sandwich is food," the duck quacked. "Food is for hunger. Psyduck is hungry. Sandwich is for Psyduck?"

"The sandwiches are for our Trainers!" Pikachu snapped. If Psyduck heard his words, he didn't understand them; the dope scooped up the sandwiches and scarfed them down.

"THAT'S IT!" Pikachu cried. He threw himself at Psyduck, and the two went tumbling backward, Pikachu pummeling away with his little paws. Psyduck made no effort to resist; he didn't seem to fully grasp what was happening anyway, which took much of the heat from Pikachu's anger. He kept at his feeble punches until...

"Pikachu? Psyduck? What's going on here?" _Pikapi._

"Pikachu, get off of him! What did poor Psyduck ever do to...what is all this?" _Pikachupi_.

"Ta-da!" Oshawott jumped up onto the stump and gestured grandly at the picnic scene. Aside from the exhausted Pikachu and befuddled Psyduck, it was still picturesque, and Pikapi and Pikachupi both seemed pleased by it. _I don't even care if Oshawott takes the credit, as long as this settles their fight..._

He needn't have worried, on either count. Pikachupi squeezed Pikapi's hand and gave him a small smile before moving over to the picnic basket. "It looks like the food's gone, Ash," she said as she rummaged through it. "If I had to guess - a certain duck of mine ate it all."

"Was that it, Pikachu?" Pikapi asked. Pikachu nodded. "Then...did you set all this up?" Pikachu nodded again. Pikachupi smiled at him this time, and hurried over to scoop him up.

"That's so sweet, Pikachu...thank you. Thank you all." As the other Pokémon brightly acknowledged her thanks, Pikachu sighed contentedly and relaxed in her arms. Pikapi came over and scratched him behind the ears.

"Thanks, buddy...don't know what we'd do without you."


End file.
